“Our senses enable us to perceive only a minute portion of the outside world.” ~ Nicola Tesla

The title of my blog post was Is Yoga a Religion or Cult? The body of the article answered this question yet in the approximately 20 places I posted; only one person actually read the message and responded within the context of the missive.

On the other hand, eleven people replied to the question, Is Yoga a Religion or Cult without reading the content of the blog’s message. Their answers lead the conversation over to their preferred arena; a particular website or educating me about yoga.

While I am always open to new information, it was clear from their remarks that they did not know the extent of my 30+ year yoga training. It was simply an opportunity for them to “teach” and apparently they “needed” to teach. Some call it pontificating, I call it pouncing. The ancient’s called these reactionary tendencies to blindly respond, samskaras.

Samskaras are simply a reaction waiting to happen; an auto-pilot. Samskaras are our tendency to interpret information in a certain way or look at a particular view of the whole while the ego locks on to a small facet and launches a reaction. Unchecked these behavioral loops of bias repeat and behaviors become more entrenched. Oh, and by the way, we all have samskaras and most are hidden from view; blind spots.

Sometimes, after much thrashing about, Stress Management Programs like yoga catch our eye and we begin to consider what it would be like to perceive the world with a new lens and respond in a different, non-habitual way.

Yogic Stress Management tools of cultivating awareness, breathing practices, and self-reflection help us de-magnetize the power of our samskaras/tendencies.

The first step in pulling away from samskaras is gaining awareness of these habitual responses. This in my opinion is nothing short of a miracle. Often people get to this place after they have tried over and over again to see their blind spots but they miss what they can’t see. They are able to consider the edges of their periphery but their blind spots are…blind.

Yogic practices to cultivate awareness include but are not limited to: Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Pranayama, and Life Alignment Coaching. Each of these programs teaches you how to slow down, take pause and become more aware.

When you take a moment to pause and notice the desire to pounce, check in with yourself and ask, “Have I missed, skipped or ignored something?” or “Am I looking at this situation, person or event with fresh new eyes or dull biased ones?” and “It may be or feel unfamiliar, but I am going to do my best to respond differently to this situation, right now.”

Please enjoy one of my favorite quotes:“Thoughts can create such a barrier that even if you are standing before a beautiful flower, you will not be able to see it. Your eyes are covered with layers of thought. To experience the beauty of the flower you have to be in a state of meditation, not in a state of ‘mentation’. You have to be silent, utterly silent, not even a flicker of thought – and the beauty explodes, reaches to you from all directions. You are drowned in the beauty of a sunrise, of a starry night, of beautiful trees.” ~ Yogic Wisdom

My thanks to the eleven people who “needed” to teach me about yoga as a result of my previous blog. It provided us with a worthy topic for discussion. For those of you who missed the original article, here it is: Is Yoga a Religion or Cult?

Please share your thoughts on this topic. It is so lovely when people respond from their own experience in a conscious way.

“Yoga is a holistic approach to health and balance. It is not associated with any religion although it is spiritual; the practice connects us with our highest and most lighthearted state.

Meditation techniques have been used in many religious traditions: Catholic, Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, etc. The tools used in a yoga practice include every area of one’s life including healthy food choices, reverence for the Divine, flexibility in mind and body and deep connection to the breath. When all areas of our lives are in balance we tend to be truly happy, healthy and more loving to ourselves and others.” ~ SKW

“I have learned so much from God that I can no longer call myself a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist or a Jew.

The truth has shared so much of Itself with me that I can no longer call myself a man, a woman, and angel or even pure Soul.

Love has befriended Hafiz so completely. It has turned to ash and freed me of every concept and image my mind has ever known.” ~ Hafiz

Professional Life Coach and advanced Yoga teacher Stacy Kamala Waltman will lead you on this journey, using visualization, asana, various concentration and meditation techniques, and her expert insights and skilled guidance.

Kamala has been studying yoga for over 30 years and is RYT500 certified. For more information and to register, please visit: Yogaville Workshops.

Depending upon one’s dexterity, there are many yoga postures which are considered to be beyond our current physical capacity like the sitting position of Full Lotus or the flexibility and strength required in the yogic posture of Pincha Mayurasana – Forearm Stand.

Aside from yoga, if I asked you where you experienced your current greatest life challenge you might respond, “Getting everything accomplished!”, “Finding time to relax” “Getting to sleep” “Handling all of my varied responsibilities” or “Letting Go”.

For those of us who aren’t suffering from insomnia, we may remember how to sleep but many have lost the art of how to truly rest.

For some, it takes great effort to resist turning on the television, and, once it’s spiraling on, can become even harder to turn off. We are often mesmerized by its constant promises of entertainment as time drains away from other more nourishing pursuits.

In this day and age of over-exertion, over-extension, a coffee hut on every corner and media over-stimulation, relaxation has been pushed aside. Replaced by activity and consumed by the effort, we think ourselves lazy if we aren’t busy. Our authenticity often becomes lost in forward moving, frenetic activity just for movement’s sake.

We are a highly adaptive species: what was once “normal” in life morphs and evolves over time becoming our new standard and sometimes we can forget what life was like before our new habits took hold. Wisdom too is lost if we don’t pause to notice our current state of being.

Shavasana, The Corpse Pose – a mental and physical equivalent to deep relaxation, is often the most difficult yoga position for newcomers. It is the least physically challenging posture in the spectrum of yoga positions because we don’t have to do anything with our bodies other than sink deep into our being.

In Shavasana the mind quiets down; the body leans into itself and the internal organs begin to unwind. When comfortable in this pose, breathing slows and stress begins to evaporate. The body’s natural healing powers rise as we surrender to a higher wisdom.

Students who practice Yoga Nidra or deep relaxation in shavasana begin to relish the cumulative benefits of this restorative and rejuvenative practice. As our mind becomes calmer, it is easier to meditate and we notice that fewer mistakes are being made throughout our work day. We feel better. Our sleep is richer. The capacity for kindness expands. It becomes easier to make decisions due to our mental clarity, and we feel more connected to Source.

The Corpse Pose can be mentally challenging though – our mind can trick us into thinking we should be doing something because striving is what our psyche knows.

According to the Mayo Clinic, if we are experiencing a great deal of stress in our lives or if we are interested in keeping stress at bay, it is imperative to find the time every day for deep relaxation and just a few minutes a day isn’t enough to provide the stress reducing benefits of yoga nidra. For a clearer, less stressed body, mind and spirit, fifteen minutes of deep relaxation a day is best for optimal health.

In a pinch, daydreaming can also be used as a relaxation technique; however, with daydreaming, our mind is still engaged, whereas in Shavasana, our mind is quiet and we connect at a deeper level to our true nature.

As a precursor to meditation, deep relaxation also provides relief from headaches, reduces body pain, improves concentration, balances emotions, eliminates insomnia, lowers blood pressure, reduces fatigue, improves bowl function, eases depression and anxiety. The quality of observing without judging is also developed in a yoga nidra/deep relaxation practice allowing us to remain a witness rather than a follower to, unconsious and habitual thoughts.

How often do you daydream? When do you truly and deeply relax? The Mayo Clinic recommends a daily practice of deep relaxation. Yogi’s do too. Turn down your mind and turn up the quiet with yoga nidra/deep relaxation.

Each portal will take us into a different reality. We simply have to want to go into another actuality and then, remove all of the things that attach us to our current existence.

I stood in front of the closed door that would take me where I wanted to go and before opening the portal took off every piece of attachment to my current state that I did not want as if it were clothing.

Finding it fascinating that while some things were easy to let go of, other, more subtle components were difficult to remove – testing how true my thoughts were that I wanted to move on into a different experience. Yearning to be in a different pattern yet wanting to do or say one more thing regarding this attached situation before I would be able to let it go. How committed was I to letting go of this mental pattern?

Would it always be like this – wanting to do or say one more thing – in a never ending vortex – always standing in front of a closed door on the edge of where I wanted to go – never crossing the threshold? How many other patterns are gripping me in this same way? I am dreaming and hope to remember this awareness when I wake up in the morning. This dream is a lucid one. The pieces are connecting in a picture puzzle and not hopping around like so many other dreams. I will remember this one.

My higher self said, “Just let it go. These things that you want to do now don’t matter in your new place. You don’t have to do or say anything to make an old situation right. Wanting to do one more thing will always keep you engaged. Stop the tendency now. Just take off the last remnants of this situation and walk through the door. You will have everything you need on the other side. It’s not your job to worry. Trust. It is that easy.”

Oh…this is the understanding or experience of the teachings I thought I understood. This is beyond the intellect; the pure essence of that experience.

I had thought I understood this concept before this dream and now realize that I had previously only understood its façade.

We simply need to walk through the portal naked and on the other side there will be clothes for us to put on. It is that simple. We will be provided with everything we need.

My dream said, when you awaken, remove all traces of those things which are not bringing you joy. Remove all of their energy from your current existence.

If the things you need to eliminate from your life have monetary value, understand that monetary value is someone else’s valuation. It is not yours. It is erroneous.

My dream encouraged me to put a high price on the things which bring peace and have good memories. Its message also said not to let anyone else tell me what has value! Be more inner directed my dream said.

I had thought I had understood these lessons too but now see subtle areas where I have allowed outside influences to determine the value of some events. These hidden areas were beyond my radar – before this dream shed its light.

What can we let go of today that will allow us to walk through the portal(s) into our more elevated experience?